Parramatta Eels salary cap: Club waiting on outcome of Anthony Watmough contract issue

[tookey]

FOR NINE years he treated every one of Anthony Watmough’s injuries as the Manly Sea Eagles club doctor.
But in the eyes of 15,000 shattered Parramatta Eels members and fans, never has respected NRL chief medical officer Doctor Paul Bloomfield, faced a more important diagnosis of Watmough than this.

It’s Bloomfield, who worked at the Sea Eagles between 2000 and 2012 before joining the NRL last year, that will determine if Watmough’s four-year $750,000 deal with Parramatta is removed from the Eels current salary cap, due to a career-ending knee injury

The end of Anthony Watmough’s career could be the saviour of Parramatta's season.
It’s Parramatta’s greatest hope of shedding the majority, if not all of the estimated $570,000 which the NRL claim the Eels are currently over the salary cap, as a result of club management’s rorting of third-party deals.

As revealed by NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg, Watmough’s medical records are yet to arrive at League Central for Bloomfield’s perusal to certify.

“There are provisions in the rules for players who retire early due to medical conditions so we would deal with that on it’s merit,’’ Geenberg said.

“The salary cap auditor has to be provided with all of the medical certificates and he has to be certain that it’s bona fide.’’

But it’s The Daily Telegraph’s understanding that Watmough’s medical documents will be presented to the NRL and Bloomfield on Wednesday.

The process of seeking salary cap exemptions is completely independent to the current insurance claim Watmough has already submitted.

There have been previous cases of club’s filing for salary cap exemption due to a career-ending injury, including former St George Illawarra and Cronulla utility Kyle Stanley, which have taken the NRL up to six months to ratify..

But in the case of the desperate Eels, Bloomfield will have just nine days — Parramatta play South Sydney on May 13 — to determine if Watmough’s knee injury is career-ending.

The doctor’s notes will then be presented to NRL salary cap auditor Jamie L’Oste Brown, who will determine how much — if any at all — of Watmough’s $750,000 salary and pay, of which can be backdated to the date of the injury occurring last February, will be removed from the Eels salary cap.

The NRL stated that only when the last-placed Eels show that they are back under the salary cap will they be permitted to recommence playing for competition points.

Greenberg also said that he was prepared to “help the club realise it’s full potential” and that the NRL were “part of the solution.’’

In the eyes of Eels officials, the fast-tracking of Watmough’s career-ending injury paperwork, is the answer towards getting back on their feet in the short-term and ensuring the 2016 season isn’t a waste.

The Eels ability to prove Watmough’s injury is career-ending will also impact their anticipated next step, which would be the offloading of current players, a difficult task to achieve in as little as nine days.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...e/news-story/10002fff329f1d4e9e87f4ba6765dff8

 

[globaleagle]

I'd be ok with the medical retirement for next season...but not this one.

There's been too many reports about how amazing the medical people are and how choc is ready to go.

Unfortunately what we may see is the ex manly medical doctor agreeing to the retirement, and all comments explained away as 'just positive pr spin for the fans.'

If this happens the 'massive' parra sanctions will in fact be:

- 5 board/exec's sacked: - wins court injunction against sacking for 3 of them.
- 1 million fine. 25% suspended. $750k for a rich club cheating to the tune of $3 million plus!
- deduction of 12 points. Only equates to wins this year and inexplicably not the season as a whole. for and against are kept (why?)
- If choc can retire medically, few if any players need to be moved on.

That is the punishment for the biggest salary cap scandal by any Australian sports team in the history of Australia!

No wonder Melbourne want their premierships reinstated.

And yet, parra are running around crying foul when they should be thanking the nrl for their leniency.

These so called sanctions are in real danger of becoming so manifestly inadequate that the common folk will only be able to see this as more NRL pandering to a Western Sydney club.

It's amazing that the bosses can claim it's the greatest game in the world when it's being run by tribally biased small scale amateurs.





oh and lol @ parra

 

[robbiea]

Starting to think that Choc leaving may have been Manly pushing him out the door ,telling him to go make one more big paycheck elsewhere.
I'm sure our medical staff probably knew the extent of his ailing physical condition.
Another planned smoke and mirrors show.

 

[globaleagle]

Starting to think that Choc leaving may have been Manly pushing him out the door ,telling him to go make one more big paycheck elsewhere.
I'm sure our medical staff probably knew the extent of his ailing physical condition.
Another planned smoke and mirrors show.

It's said the nrl doctor tasked with determining the legitimacy of parra's and choc's claim is Manly's ex doctor.

Hopefully, like most docs, he has a god complex and determines that choc was 100% fine when he left Manly and sees no reason to agree with 'medical retirement.'

!

 

[Dan]

What irks me about this is that they knew they were over the cap but still signed him and Jennings, and foran and whomever else. Hasson I can forgive I'll throw him under the cap for free. But they should not receive any leniency for offloading Watmough for injury they should still be forced to offload more

 

[Captain Moondog]

Greenberg also said that he was prepared to “help the club realise it’s full potential” and that the NRL were “part of the solution.’’

Greenbergs rhetoric makes it obvious the way this will pan out.

 

[sheridanstand78]

If the worms are allowed to get away with this re Whatmouth it would rank as another example of the void that we have in relation to leadership right at the top. Greenturd and his pals are desparate for the worms to make the 8. If they do it will be a stain on this season. By not sanctioning them to be banned from the finals they have set a precedent for any club who wishes to cheat. You stuffed up Greenturd!!

 

[simon64]

I love rugby league.

But if they are allowed to medically retire Choc and magically become salary cap compliant, that'll be the last straw for me.

I'll take a passing interest in Manly's games but I'll go support Sydney FC.

I won't spend my hard earned on a sport that allows teams to cheat and just pretends it never happened.

Bring back Gallop. At least the guy had guts.

 

[JenEagle]

They signed Watmough to destabilise Manly knowing full well that he couldn't play 4 years. There's no way they can now retire him and not have that counted under the cap. He had major knee issues at Manly Ffs.

 

[mosto]

I don't see how the fact he retired is relevant. Surely any club who is without the services of a player for an extended period, due to injury, would be entitled to the same cap relief. For instance, the Warriors could claim most of RTS salary for this year doesn't count towards their cap, allowing them to go and sign someone like Gordon or Gutherson as a replacement.

Injuries are a part of the game, and a club signing an ageing player with a history of injuries surely does so at their own risk. I'm assuming he under went a medical prior to signing?

The only circumstance this could be remotely entertained is if the injury was a result of foul play, i.e. Alex McKinnon.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

We may have had something similar with Richie Faoaso and his broken neck drama.

 

[MadMarcus]

From memory the NRL made us count Richie's salary under our cal the year he got hurt. Is that right?

By the way it seems he's another one the Eels really looked after...

http://m.smh.com.au/rugby-league/pa...-dollar-insurance-policy-20150902-gjdr6r.html

 

[HappilyManly]

SPIN

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...anthony-watmoughs-career-20160418-go98mo.html

Beau Scott shows little remorse for injury that may end Anthony Watmough's career
Date
April 18, 2016
Michael Chammas


Friendly fire is likely to force Anthony Watmough to hang up the boots but Beau Scott made no apologies for his "train hard, play hard" attitude that led to his teammate's potential career-ending knee injury.

It was a challenge from Scott during a training drill gone wrong in the pre-season that is likely to end the former Manly back-rower's career, but Watmough holds no grudges against the new Eels enforcer despite an apparent lack of remorse.

"Beau Scott is Beau Scott, I don't think he has got emotion," Watmough told Fairfax Media. "It was just a freak injury. It was nothing we thought would be this long term. I joked around with Beauy and said 'this is your fault'. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away."

The incident occurred when most of Parramatta's NRL squad was in New Zealand for the Auckland Nines, while the remaining players were going through a routine training session when Watmough was floored by a challenge from the NSW enforcer.

At the time, Watmough was preparing to play in the following weekend's trial against Penrith, but the collision from behind from Scott while he was trying to shadow a ball across the dead-ball line appears to have cruelled him of the chance to play again. But Scott, renowned for his relentless intensity both at training and on game day, made no apologies for his commitment to the drill.

"It's all just part of it. You have to compete no matter what you're doing, on or off the field," Scott said. "That's all it was. I'm not sure what his outcome is going to be just yet but we'd rather see him on the field every week because we know the sort of player he is. But injuries are part of the game - it's as simple as that. You play hard, train hard, it's as simple as that."

Insurance paperwork has been filed that could allow Watmough to retire and still receive payment for the final three years of his contract, but Watmough says he hasn't given up hope of a miraculous recovery. While he struggled to walk when he eventually got back to his feet after the Scott collision, even he admits he didn't expect the injury suffered at training to be as serious as it was.

"We were chasing a ball down and I hyper-extended my knee, then bone started chipping away," Watmough said. "It was just a freak accident. It was when the boys were playing the Nines. I was pretty sure I was going to be right the next week to play the trial against Penrith. We were playing a game trying to get repeat sets if you put it in goals. I was just trying to shepherd it out and he had to pull up and pushed into me and my knee got caught under me. He just pushed me in the back and as he has pushed me I've stuck my leg out and its gone straight and done some damage to my knee. I don't know how to explain it. I couldn't walk or run after that. It's been a long time between drinks trying to get out on the field."

Club captain Tim Mannah, who was at the training session, shed light on Scott's intensity at training. The injured prop, who is due back against the Bulldogs in round nine, said Scott trained with the same attitude he takes on the field.

"Beauy, he's a 100 miles an hour," Mannah said. "He's got no second gear. He's either zero or 100. No one realised the seriousness of the injury [to Watmough] at the time. He limped off and we just kept training as we were. It wasn't until he got the scans did we realise how serious it was but at the time we didn't realise."

---------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...ter-injury-complications-20151208-glij4s.html

Parramatta Eels' Anthony Watmough had to learn to run again after injury complications
Date
December 8, 2015

Brad Walter
Sports Reporter

Former Test forward Anthony Watmough told Parramatta officials just weeks ago that he was going to retire after muscle fatigue from ignoring a serious knee injury for five years left him a virtual cripple.

Watmough, whose first season with the Eels ended prematurely when he suffered a shoulder injury in the round 19 match against North Queensland, has had to learn to run again after also undergoing surgery to repair a torn medial ligament in his left knee.

After having the ligament re-attached, Watmough found the rehabilitation from the operation so difficult he thought his career was over.

"I thought I was going to retire, I thought I was gone," Watmough revealed on Tuesday at a launch for next season's NRL Nines.
.
"I spoke to the physio because the first time I tried to run, I couldn't. My legs were just on fire. I just said to him 'I'm done. I can't run, I can't walk, I can't even hop'. I was standing there with my left leg and it was just done. I thought that's life, I've had a great run, I've had a great go."

However, Watmough is now looking forward to his 14th season in the NRL after Parramatta physiotherapist Josh Rigg told him the pain wasn't caused by the medial ligament tear but muscle fatigue from continuing to play with the injury.

"I learnt to favour it too much, so the muscles, the hamstring, just died... the calf didn't work and I didn't realise how bad it was because over the years it just kept declining, declining," Watmough said.

"The physio said 'you've had no medial for so long that there's nothing there'. As soon as they re-attached it I could feel muscles that I hadn't felt in years.

"But then they just started chucking fits and locked one day, sort of spasmed, when I was at training. That's when they felt like they were on fire and I said 'I'm done'".

Watmough, who has played 303 NRL matches for Manly and Parramatta, said Rigg had had to teach him him how to run again and he has gradually been increasing the distances.

"The first day he wanted me to run a straight line for five metres and I couldn't do that," Watmough said.
"Then I came back the next week and ran for two minutes [and] the next week for five minutes. Every day we did programs, set up fitness blocks with cycling and other stuff.
"The other day was 7.5 kilometres on my legs and then to be able to turn up the next day and run. That was a big test."

Having done that, Watmough now hopes to next week be given the green light to resume ballwork with teammates for the first time in six months.

"I was told I've been playing on one leg for five years," Watmough said. "To do that in one of the toughest sports in the world, I didn't realise how much it was taking away from my game but obviously it was. My performances haven't been what they should have been.

"It wasn't the year I wanted at Parra. I wanted to have a bit more of an impact than I did but it was probably a blessing that I went to Parra as they finally found out what my injury was and fixed it.

"It wasn't the greatest debut at a club but we're working hard off the field and I feel we've grown as a unit. It's been pretty surreal the last five weeks, learning how to run again."

----------------------------------------------------
http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport...e/news-story/cf9542897c50debc13d54ba786d2e00d

NRL 2015: Anthony Watmough to bring Parramatta strong mental edge
January 24, 2015 5:21pm
James HooperThe Daily Telegraph

ANTHONY Watmough calls it his ‘Popeye’ arm.



The divot where the left bicep tore off the bone during last year’s State of Origin series and has now completely vanished.

“About three inches missing,” Watmough explained.

And therein sits the primary reason why Brad Arthur fought tooth and nail to get this Manly Sea Eagles life member to switch clubs and spearhead a cultural change at Parramatta.

When it comes to sacrifice, energy, effort and experience, Watmough is the hard edge the Eels were missing come the final rounds of last season.

Officially signed to a four-year contract on October 30 last year, the first thing Arthur and the Eels medical staff instructed ‘Choc’ was to cease running for the entire off season and get his busted knee fixed.

“I probably haven’t been able to run at my best for two, going on three years,” Watmough said.

“I had a niggling knee injury I couldn’t get right so when I got to the Eels they said ‘right, no running, we’ve got to get this fixed.

“But I said no. I knew Brad had brought me out here for a reason and I wanted to show the young guys that I was prepared to practice what I preach.


“If I’m going to be hard on them I needed to be hard on myself.

“I said why don’t we leave it until next year and then try and sort it out then.”

So Watmough and the Eels devised a daily ‘prehab’ routine that sees him leaving the northern beaches at 6am every morning before checking in for an hour on the physio table at Parramatta prior to training.

He even wore a wedge in one of his boots for a while.

“I gave him the option to have a rest and get himself right but I knew what path he’d go down,” Arthur said.

“I knew he’d want to lead. He’s the first one out here every day getting his treatment and he has not missed a session.

The NRL recognised the value in Watmough’s signature at the Eels, scheduling the Sea Eagles in for what is guaranteed to be a sold-out Pirtek Stadium come round one.

When it comes to bitter splits, Watmough’s departure from Manly got ugly as the internal divide between senior players and others at the club was laid bare.


“It will be mixed emotions I suppose. It’s tough the way some of us had to leave but good to get a crack at getting it out of the way early,” Watmough said.

“It will be weird at the same time. Manly just wasn’t home for me anymore, a lot of things had changed and it was time for me to move on.

“To have the role that I have at the Eels where I’m trying to set an example, it’s given me a whole new lease on life.

“I don’t believe I’m a tough footballer in any way but Brad told me he wanted me at Parramatta to help toughen the boys up mentally.

“To have someone believe in you that much it was a pretty easy decision in the end.

“Do I stay and be miserable or do I go and play for someone who I really respect and admire.

“It’s very early days, but we want to try and help build on the Eels culture and try and build a bit of a dynasty.”

The million-dollar question Eels fans want answered is can Choc convince his great mate Kieran Foran to follow him to playing in western Sydney?

“Fozza keeps his cards pretty close to his chest, I haven’t been able to get anything out of him,” Watmough joked.

“I think he’s told four of the boys four different stories.”

And there it is again.

The quick one-line banter that can help bring a team closer together.

Make no mistake, Anthony Watmough can do for Parramatta what Ben Kennedy did for Manly in 2005.

 

[mbe]

In this mornings Herald they are saying even if Watmough retires they still have to get rid of at least one or two of Norman, Foran, Jennings or Beau Scott. They will also need to replace them with other players in the top 25. This has to be done before next Friday or they won't get any points. And that is dependant of anyone taking the NRL to court. So to me it seems like they will have a hard time being under the cap for now. By the way one NRL club boss said they will have to release 3or 4 high profile players and they didn't think they could do it.

 

[niccipops]

The Choc situation is a farce. Of course the final injury is career ending as in the straw that broke the camel's back. He's 33 and had dodgy knees for years.
They still signed the guy on a massive deal for four years, knowing his injuries. Then Choc plays a huge role in securing Foz. Dalai ticks this off his list. Choc has played his role.
Only recently old Choc stated he's not retiring and hopefully he'll get another shot but now the club wants to retire him immediately to get under the cap.
The ground work for this has been set up earlier with previous articles like the one relating to Beau Scott.
This whole situation is some of the dodgiest shyte ever and the NRL are going to approve it.
6 clubs have lost to the the cheating eels so far but they retain their F/A.
Parma's draw is soft too.
One million F words!

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

The salary cap and TPAs are all smoke and mirrors, which has been amply illustrated by the Eels. I hope they do have to shed players but I'll believe that when I see it.

Greenberg is setting up an heroic finals chase by the Eels, and a stirring up of tribal rivalries with Eels as the new black hat in town.

Vince McMahon and Dana White could not have set it up any better.

 

[mbe]

I would SO love to see Corey Norman go to another club as part of the fire sale just to upset Forme more. He is after all the best player he has ever played with either at club or test level.

 

[HappilyManly]

I would SO love to see Corey Norman go to another club as part of the fire sale just to upset Forme more. He is after all the best player he has ever played with either at club or test level.

Penriff want him and he is roomies with Segeyaro

 

[nightster]

all teams that lost to them this year should get the two points

 

[weev]

They signed Watmough to destabilise Manly knowing full well that he couldn't play 4 years. There's no way they can now retire him and not have that counted under the cap. He had major knee issues at Manly Ffs.

Yes and pinhead choc thought he was undervalued by Toovey and the club and left acrimoniously.